Etymology

In honour of Prof. T.H.Chien, The Metropolitan Museum of Natural History Academia Sinica, Nanking, China.

Family

Lindsaeaceae

Nomenclature

Lindsaea chienii Ching, Sinensia 1: 4. 1929; Ching, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 2: 270. 1959; Kramer, Gard. Bull. Singapore 26: 19, f. 7. 1972; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 133. 1985; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 91. 2000. – Lindsaea tenera var. chienii (Ching) Tardieu & C.Chr., Not. Syst. 5: 266. 1936; Tardieu & C.Chr., Fl. Indo-Chine 7(2): 127. 1939. – Type: R.C.Ching 7184, China, N.W. Kwangsi on the border of Kweichow., common on the floor of mixed hardwood forest, c. 4800 ft.

Lindsaea tenera auct. non Dryand.: Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 5: 75. 1967, p.p.

Description

Rhizome short creeping, about 2 mm diam.; scales linear, about 2 mm long, 2 or 3 cells, broad at base, brown, more or less bright. Stipes castaneous to nearly black, quadrangular in cross section, up to 25 cm long. Laminae bipinnate, or rarely pinnate in small sterile fronds, subtriangular, 8–16 by 3–11.5 cm; lateral pinnae 1–5 pairs of pinnate pinnae, 9–15 pairs when including the simple pinnae, basal ones largest, shortly stalked, linear, up to 10 by 2.5 cm; terminal pinnae large, up to 12 by 3 cm; pinnules of lateral pinnae oblong, inner and lower edges straight, or more or less dimidiate, meeting in cuneate base, outer and upper edges entire or lobed in larger ones, forming round apex, up to 1.5 cm by 4 mm, those of terminal pinnae oblong to subquadrangular, lower edges dimidiately curving, inner edge close or imbricate to rachis, upper edge more or less lobed, up to 1.8 by 0.8 cm, subcoriaceous; veins free except those united by sori, distinct on both surfaces. Sori marginal along outer and upper edges of pinnules, continuous in smaller ones, but usually interrupted .

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Chiang Mai; NORTH-EASTERN: Loei; PENINSULAR: Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Wider Distribution

S China, Vietnam, Taiwan, northwards to S Japan.

Ecology

Terrestrial on rather dry or clayey slopes in evergreen forests at 1000–1500 m alt.

Similar species

Lindsaea orbiculata (Lam.) Mett. ex Kuhn

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread and not under any known threat.

Notes

This species is very similar to Lindsaea orbiculata , particularly to L. orbiculata var. commixta.  We are doubtful they are separate species .  This has also been discussed by Kramer, Fl. Males., Ser. II, Pterid. 1: 207. 1971.